--- a/Lib/email/_header_value_parser.py	2016-12-23 02:21:19.000000000 +0000
+++ b/Lib/email/_header_value_parser.py	2017-02-07 15:50:21.522642086 +0000
@@ -1742,15 +1742,21 @@
         leader, value = get_cfws(value)
     else:
         leader = None
-    if value[0]=='"':
-        token, value = get_quoted_string(value)
-    elif value[0] in SPECIALS:
-        raise errors.HeaderParseError("Expected 'atom' or 'quoted-string' "
-                                      "but found '{}'".format(value))
+
+    if value:
+        if value[0]=='"':
+            token, value = get_quoted_string(value)
+        elif value[0] in SPECIALS:
+            raise errors.HeaderParseError("Expected 'atom' or 'quoted-string' "
+                                          "but found '{}'".format(value))
+        else:
+            token, value = get_atom(value)
+
+        if leader is not None:
+            token[:0] = [leader]
     else:
-        token, value = get_atom(value)
-    if leader is not None:
-        token[:0] = [leader]
+        token = leader
+
     return token, value
 
 def get_phrase(value):
--- a/Lib/test/test_email/test__header_value_parser.py	2016-12-23 02:21:20.000000000 +0000
+++ b/Lib/test/test_email/test__header_value_parser.py	2017-02-07 15:50:50.382183511 +0000
@@ -922,6 +922,20 @@
         self._test_get_x(parser.get_word,
             'foo.', 'foo', 'foo', [], '.')
 
+    def test_get_word_all_CFWS(self):
+        word = self._test_get_x(parser.get_word,
+            '(Recipients list suppressed)',
+            str(parser.CFWSList([parser.Comment([
+                parser.WhiteSpaceTerminal('Recipients', 'ptext'),
+                parser.WhiteSpaceTerminal(' ', 'fws'),
+                parser.WhiteSpaceTerminal('list', 'ptext'),
+                parser.WhiteSpaceTerminal(' ', 'fws'),
+                parser.WhiteSpaceTerminal('suppressed', 'ptext')
+            ])])),
+            ' ', [], ''
+        )
+        self.assertEqual(word.token_type, 'cfws')
+
     # get_phrase
 
     def test_get_phrase_simple(self):
@@ -2443,6 +2457,18 @@
         self.assertEqual(str(address_list.addresses[1]),
                          str(address_list.mailboxes[2]))
 
+    def test_get_address_list_CFWS(self):
+        address_list = self._test_get_x(parser.get_address_list,
+            '(Recipient list suppressed)',
+            '(Recipient list suppressed)',
+            ' ',
+            [errors.ObsoleteHeaderDefect],  # no content in address list
+            '')
+        self.assertEqual(address_list.token_type, 'address-list')
+        self.assertEqual(len(address_list.mailboxes), 0)
+        self.assertEqual(address_list.mailboxes,
+                         address_list.all_mailboxes)
+
     def test_invalid_content_disposition(self):
         content_disp = self._test_parse_x(
             parser.parse_content_disposition_header,